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Hook Green
Hook Green maps
Historic maps of Hook Green and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Hook Green maps
Hook Green area books
Displaying 1 of 24 books about Hook Green and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Hook Green
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Kent memories
Village 'Bobby'
As village 'Bobby' in the late 1960's early 70's, we, my wife and two daughters, lived in the Police House in Furnace Lane. Sometime about 1970 I called into the village shop (I think it was Fuller's) and the lady there asked me if I would take a gun off her! She said that they had recently gone into the roof space when having a clear out and found a pearl handled revolver with belt and holster. She went on to explain that during World War II they had American troops billeted in the village and some in her mothers shop. She recalls that at the time there was an armed robbery at a bank in Tunbridge Wells and she seems to think the Yanks billeted at the shop may have been responsible. The gun appears to have been hidden in the roof in case they should be searched. They obviously moved on, probably for D-Day and did not have the opportunity to remove... Read more
Land Army Memories.
The white weatherboarded house was the farmhouse of the farm where my mother, Joyce Clark, worked along with another 3 girls in the Land Army during the Second World War. It was called Cogger's Farm. She was there whilst the Battle of Britain was fought overhead. They grew hops, wheat, barley, oats and enough vegetables to supply the local school. The oast houses behind the house belonged to the farm. The hops were picked each year by families from the east end of London who came down and made a holiday of it. They slept in stone outhouses in the farmyard on straw pallets. My mother was billeted with Miss Parrot (along with another Land Girl called Lot) in a house off the photo on the first road to the left (shown as a weatherboarded house on the right of photo L323039). Every Sunday Lot and my mother had to sing hymns around the piano and if they went to a Saturday night dance they had to be in by... Read more
Car-Number-Plate Collecting
Brings back memories of hot Sunday afternoons sitting on the bridge with my mates collecting car number-plates. I was nine years old and lived at 1 Workhouse Cottages, in Brewer Street with Miss Mabel Alice Ranger. I was a little tyke with short long trousers. I also remember swinging on the pendulum of the school clock and getting the cane for it. I was not at school often as I tended to play truant. I remember all the shops in the village: Curtis the newsagents, Avards the Bakers and the old hairdressers shop on the corner. There was also a confectioners called Fullers - opposite The Chequers - where I used to get ice-cream and fizzy pop. As lads we would always be golf-balling to earn money. Hope to visit old haunts one day soon.
THOSE LONG LOST DAYS IN LAMBERHURST
It was indeed interesting reading Roger Barden's account of Lamberhurst, but feel he has left out a few salient points. Of course Curtis the newsagents and Avards the bakers with the ever inquisitive Mrs Avards were selling that delicious bread and sweets for the children going to school. But of course there was just up the hill Gurr's the butcher's complete with pony & trap to deliver his meat together with a very young Peter Sands who went on to have and maintain his own business in the village. Along from Avards, Fred Ashdown briefly had a barber's shop, and next to him was Reeve's the grocers and where the post office is now sat this little lady, whose name I never knew, who sold various materials and balls of wool. Next to that was Avard's Garage, selling petrol at four shillings and seven pence per gallon, and next to that was the Redman garage, which whilst also selling petrol was mainly concerned with the repair of vehicles. Next to... Read more
Cherry Picking
I have great memories of Matfield Green. My mum and dad would pack up all our kit, put it into a large van then we would be taken from Lewes in East Sussex to the cherry orchard in Matfield Green. The cherry orchard was on the Crittenden Road just up from the owner's house which was Mr Thomsett. We had great adventures there and I will never forget them, like swimming naked in Matfield Green pond which had a little island in the middle. My father passed away June just gone so I am going to go to Matfield Green to have another look at the orchard but I know the cherry trees have gone and it's just a field, but I will always remember Mr Charly King driving around the orchard to pick up our picked cherries. The families there were the Arnolds (us), the the Harrises, the Carters and lots more, but I cannot remember them all. There was also Paul the German, and I remember the milkman... Read more
Pembury
I was born in Stockwell London, but I often visited 'Uncle Jack' who was the retired farm manager of Beagles Farm. He lived with his wife in Church Road opposite the stores. My parents, my sister and I visited regularly and when the grown ups wanted to chat, I was given money to buy sweets at Kings Stores. My ancestors came from this area, including Nimrod Bridger who was, unfortunately run down and killed in one of the first motoring accidents of the time. It was reported at length in the local newspaper dated 19th June 1906. Some other ancestors are buried in the graveyard, at the side of the local school, just up the hill from where the stores were. I have not been able to locate the actual graves. The main Hastings Road at that time ran through Pembury, and we used to travel there by coach and walk down to the Stores. I do recall many wonderful home cooked dinners and picking fruit for 'pudding'.
Those Were The Days
I can still remember the times I spent sitting in the dumb waiter lift to go to the staff storeroom to liberate theres a few people id like to catch up with any alcohol they had...those were the days my friends.ive grown up alot since then but it was a beautiful school and they taught me alot
